Record-surfacing and the production thereof



V. H. EMERSON AND A. N. PIERMAN;

RECORD SURFACING AND THE PRODUCHON THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.4,1919.

1 ,33$,37L rammed Jan. 20, L930.

RifCORD MATE/P/AL 1N FLU/D FOR/1 TEXTILE FABRIC Fiq.]I.

V H 5 INVENTORS W, A TTORIVEYSL UNITED STATES- PATENT orr cn.

I VICTOR H. EMERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN, F NEWARK,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO EMERSO N PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RECORE-SUBFACING AND THE PRODUCI'ION THEREOF.

Application filed January 4, 1919.

' To all/whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VICTOR H. EMERSON,

' of New York city, New York, and ALEXAN- DER N LPIERMAN, of Newark, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Record-Surfacing and the Production Thereof, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to disk record of any type. Among the objects of the invention are: toreduce the weight and thickness of the tablet,*and yet to render it less liable to breakage; toreduce the cost of the tablet, without sacrificing the acoustical quality of the record thereon; to expedite the operat on of impressing the record-grooves therein;

. and, in general, to improve the record and the manufacture thereof.

Broadly stated, the invention comprises the employment of a surface-carrier of fabric, and the application thereto of a suitable surfacing, applied in liquid form; a

surface-sheet, consisting of fabric thus treated; a tablet having a surface of the character indicated, and having recordgrooves on one or both faces thereof; andv 'other features hereinafter. set forth: and

claimed.

The invention Wlll be more readily understood by means of the following description,

in which a simple and specific example is set forth as an illustration thereof.

For thesurface-carrier, take a piece of woven textile fabric, preferablyone which presents a slight nap, such as sateen, which has been found very satisfactory for this purpose.

For the liquid surfacing, take any suitable record-surfacing, sucltas the ordinary or any desirable record-material, and

reduce it to liquid form by the employment of an appropriate solvent or any suitable menstruum. The ordinary record-material is a thermoplastic composition containing i finely-ground earthy matter held together by a. gum-like binder which usually contains more or less shcllacl For acoust1cal results,

the record-surface (with which the reproduring-stylus is to contact) should, contain,

as is well known, finely-comminuted earthy 501' contains the betteryand accordingly the or grittyv matter, and the more shellac it practice has sometimes been followed of employing thermoplastic material of h gh shellaccontent as the surfacing-material,

Specification of Letters Patent.

while the body of the disk may contain little or no shellac. All such compositions can be readily reduced to liquid form by a menstruum of alcohol,- acetone, or the like, which dissolves the soluble ingredients and carries the unsoluble particles in suspension." In every case, will be selected with regard to the ingredients of the particular record-surfacing material dealt with.

By adding to such liquid surfacing a toughening-ingredient, such as linseed oil (used as a toughener, in the manufacture of varnishes), the ultimate recordsurface is rendered more fiexible,that is, more tenacious and less brittle.

This liquid surfacing, either with or without linseed oil, can be applied to such fabric or carrier in various ways. For example, by flattening out a sheet of the fabric and applying the liquid with a brush; and, if desired, the fabric can then be turned over and the liquid applied to the other side also, to insure thorough impregnation of the fabric (and particularly of the nap-surface with the liquid menstruum and its surfacingcontent Or, a backing of paper, pressboard, orthe'like, can be taken, and its surface brushed over with said liquid, then a sheet of the fabric flattened out thereon (taking care to have the nap-side uppermost, if there be nap on one side only), and the liquid then applied over the exposed face of the fabric; and, if desired, to the other side of said backing can be similarly applied a second piece of fabric, similarly treated with the surfacing-liquid. Or, a strip of the fabric-or a strip of paper along with the strip of fabric-or a strip of paper between two strips of fabric-can be run throu h rollers for applying the surfacing-liquid v one operation. Whatever course be followed, the coated or impregnated article is then dried out thoroughly, and until all the volatile content has passed off completely. This seasoning may require from a few hours to several days, according to the nature of the particular menstruum and the; particular surfacing-material selected.

' After such strip or sheet has become thoroughly seasoned, disks of the required diameter are cut out, ready for the press; or the cutting-out and the impressing can be performed by a single operation of the press,

If the fabric be treated as already-formed disks, there is liability of the edges curling up; whereas, by treating it in the form of a sheet or strip, and not cutting the disks out until the treated fabric has become thoroughly seasoned, more perfect disks are obtained. There the. seasoned. disk consists of the built-up layers (comprising paper or the likeas well as such fabric), it can be subjected directly to the pressingmatrix, to become (under heat and pressure) a. commercial record, single-faced or doublefaced as the case may be. \V here, however,

merely the single sheets of fabric have-been surfaced and seasoned, without any backing, then they may be subsequently reinforced, as by a suitablebacking (such as paper) interposed between two such carrier-fabrics, or a single sheet of backing can be employed with one carrier-fabric; and, in either case, the layers will become united together, under heat and pressure, simultaneously with the impresslng of'the record-grooves. This latter is particularly applicable for post-cards, tocys, etc.

no manner of carryingout the invention is illustrated by the annexed drawings which are enormously magnified, and not drawn. to scale. In these drawings, Figures I and II are sectional views, and Fig. 111 a perspective on a much smaller scale.

Fig. I shows a brush 4, in the act oi applying to the sheet or strip 5, of woven textile fabric, the liquid menstruum 6 that contains suitable record-material in solution or suspension. In. Fig. 11, said recordmaterialis indicated as the now thoroughly dried-out residuum or surfacin 6, closely adhered to the fabric 5,no attempt being here made to indicate the depth to which the record-material has penetrated into the fabric. In Fig. 111, a knife or other suit able tool 7 is indicated as cutting through crete structure; and the nap (when present) acts in similar manner, and like the dock used in ordinary thermosplastic recordmaterial. This adds tensile strength to the (very thin) disk as a whole, and binds the surfacing securely into position, as does also the interlocking of the particles of the surfacing with the interwoven fibers or the textile fabric. And the linseed oil (when used) increases the flexibility and tenacity or toughness of the surfacing, rendering the surfacing-material (and the disk as a whole) less brittle; so that, if'the disk should be bent in handling orbth'erwise, there is littleorv no tendency to break it or to crock or blister its surface or to mar its recordgrooves or to impair the appearance of the record as a commercial article.

The great reduction in the cost of the blank disks, the great increase in the output of the press, the reduction in breakage of the finished records, and the greater econ-- ozny in shipment (due to the thinness and, lightness of the goods), are real advantages which require no elaboration.

The invention is not limited to the precise ingredients and step set forth. It is obvious that many difi'erentingredients are available, that proportions may be varied by the judgment of the manufacturer, and methods and manipulations selected to suit factory conditions, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed is: i I

1. The process of preparing a record-surface, which consists of applying to a iabric a liquid menstruum containing record-material and linseed oil, and drying the same thoroughly and until alli'xthe volatile content has passed off 'completely.

2. The process otpreparing a. IQCOTCLSUPM face, which consists of applying to suitable carrier a liquid menstruum containing: earthy matter and a suitable binder there for and also a toughehing-ingredient, and

drying; the same thoroughiy and until. all

the volatile content has passed ofi completely.

3. The herein-described record-tablet, havins: a surface-carrier of fabric, and presenting a surface of earthy matter and sheiiac vand linseed 011. v

i. The herein-described reeord-tabiet, having a surface-carrier of fabric, and presenting' a surface consisting of record-material and a toughening-ingredient.

5. The herein-describedrecordtablet, containing a backing or base of suitable material, having a surface-carrier of fabric, and presenting a. surface of earthy matter and shellac and. linseed oil.

, 6. The process or" preparing a recordtablet, which comprises first treating a sheet of suitable fabric with a liquid menstru'um containing record-materi a1, next drying the same thoroughly until the volatile content has passed off, and thereafter cutting out a disk from said treated and seasoned sheet. 7. The process of preparing a record'- tablet, which comprises first treating a sheet of suitable fabric with a liquid menstruum containing record material, next drying the same thoroughly until the volatile content has passed off, and theresftcr cutting out :1 disk sin'iultaneously frcnl said sheet and from asuitable backing united thereto.

8. The process of preparing a recmwltablct, which comprises firstti'cating a sheet 01 suitable fabric with a liquid mcnst-i'uum containing record-material, next drying the same thoroughly until the volatile content has passed off, and thereafter impressing a spiral record-groove into the treated and 10 seasoned fabric while simultancouslv cutcing cut from said sheet the disk containing said impressed record.

in testimony whereof we have signed this specification.

VICTOR Hmumscs. ALEXANDER N. PIERMAS. 

